Rail-bond.



UNITED STATES PATENT Patented October, 1903.

OFFICE.

RAIL-BOND.

SPECIFICATION forming' pari; of Letters Patent No. 740,912, datedOctober 6, 1903. Adpplieation lerl July 16,192. Serial Nn.`1l5,849. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it inlay concern:

Be it known thatI, LOUIS PFINGST, of Bostn, (Dorchester,) in the countyofSuffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Rail-Bonds for Electric Railways, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in rail-bonds forelectric railways or connectors for electrical conductors; and theobjects of my invention are, first, to pro` vide a bond which can bewedged into a hole in the rail, so that the jar caused by traiiic willnot loosen the bond in the rail; second, to provide a rail-bond whichwill give better contact on both sides of the webs of the rails and inwhich every point of the surface of the bond within the hole is broughtinto solid contact with the surface of said hole, thus preventing theadmission of air and moisture; also, to provide a rail-bond which willbe connected to another bond on the opposite side of the rail, so thatthe electric current will pass through both.

. A furtherobject of`this invention is to provide a double bondingwherein only two holes, one on each side of the joint, are used. Thisconstruction materially reduces the cost of double bonding,which, as iswell known, provides that in case one bond breaks the other carries thecurrent.

My invention consists of certain novel features 'hereinafter described,and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate a construction embodyingmy investion, Figure l is a perspective view of two of my improvedrail-bonds before they are coupled or connected together. Fig. 2 is aside View of a portion of two rails,'showingone of the bonds appliedwith the fish-plate partly broken away at the joint of the rails. Fig.

3 is a vertical cross-sectional view on the line 'The rail-bond A iscomposed of two terminalsBand O, having shoulders, as shown, andconnected by the metallic wires D. The terminalB is provided with asolid projecting pin E and the terminal O is provided with a hollowprojecting thimble F, all these parts being preferably ofcopper. Therails H are set up in line and secured to the ties lin the 'usualmanner, after which the thimbles F of the bonds A are driven into thetwo holes on opposite sides of the joint between the'rails in the web Gof the rails. Then the pins E on the terminals B are entered into thehol- 'lowthimbles F and then driven into said thimbles, after which theterminals are compressed, and the metal ot' the pins and thimbles arespread by using the ordinary compressor or any of the well-known devicesused for this purpose, which not only tightens up thebonds, but bringsthe sides of the terminals in close contact with the. webs of the rails,vinsuring a good electric metallic contact.

From the drawings it will be seen that the bonds are located on oppositesides of vthe rail and in contact with the webs of the rails and extendacross thejoint between the rails and are connected together through onehole in the web of each rail. Over said bonds are located thefish-plates G, located on the base H' of the adjacent rails H and aresecured together by bolts G', which extend through the web G2 of therail.

Fig. 6 illustrates a modification wherein the bonds A are constructedwith the terminals Bwconnected by metallic wires D', and from saidterminals project two solid pins E', while vthe other bond A is providedwith two terminals C', connected by metallic wires D', and saidterminals O are each provided with hollow thimbles F. The connection andoperation of this modification is the same as that previously described.

Having thus described the nature of my invention and set forth aconstruction embodying the same, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. In a double rail-bond, a bond on each side of the webs of theadjacent rails and consisting of two connected shouldered terminalstelescoped in openings in the adjacent rails IOO on opposite sides ofthe joint in contact with the surfaces of said openings and With saidshouldered terminals in contact with the Webs of the adjacent railsaround said openingsin which the terminals are telescoped.

2. In a double rail-bond, a bond on each side of the Webs of theadjacent rails and consisting of two connected shouldered terminals onehaving a pin projection and the other a sleeve projection oppositelyarranged on each bond and telescoped together in openings in theadjacent rails on opposite sides of the joint with the sleeves incontact with the surfaces of said openings and the shoulders of theterminals in contact with the Webs of the adjacent rails around saidopenings.

3. In a double rail-bond,'a bond on each side of the webs ot theadjacent rails and consistingof tWo connected shouldered terminals onehaving a pin projection and the other an open-ended sleeve projectionoppositely arranged on each bond and telescoped together in openings inthe adjacent rails on opposite sides of the joint with the sleeves inContact with the surfaces of said openings and the shouldered terminalsin contact with the webs of the adjacent railsaround said openings.

4. In a double rail-bond, a bond on each side of the Webs of theadjacent rails and consisting of tWo connected shouldered terminals onehaving a pin projection and the other an open-ended sleeve projectionoppositely arranged on each bond and telescoped together in openings inthe adjacent rails on opposite sides of the joint with the sleeves incontact with the surfaces of said openings and the shouldered terminals-in contact With the Webs of the adjacent rails around said openings andwith the pin projections in contact with the inner peripheries of thesaid sleeve projections.

In testimony whereof have signed my name to this specification, in thepresence of two subscribing Witnesses, this 14th day of July, A. D.1902.

Louis PFINGsT.

Witnesses:

FREDERICK S. GORE, t A. L. MESSER.

